President Moon Presides Over Cabinet Meeting, Approves Enforcement Decree of Kindergarten Three Acts

Resolution of the Private School Act Amendment and the National School Establishment Decree Amendment... President Moon: "Special Measures Needed for Novel Coronavirus"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] On the morning of the 21st, the government deliberated and approved the proclamation of the Kindergarten 3 Acts and other laws passed by the National Assembly at the Cabinet meeting presided over by President Moon Jae-in.

The Blue House explained, "At today's Cabinet meeting, 36 laws including the partial amendment of the Private School Act proclamation, 2 bills including the partial amendment of the National Health Promotion Act, and 23 presidential decrees including the partial amendment of the National School Establishment Decree were deliberated and approved."

The Cabinet meeting was held from 10:00 a.m. to 11:28 a.m. in the Cabinet meeting room of Government Complex Sejong Building 1. It was conducted via video conference between the Sejong and Seoul government offices. According to Article 53 of the Constitution, the Cabinet decided to promulgate 36 bills passed by the National Assembly in January this year and transmitted to the government.

President Moon Jae-in held a Cabinet meeting at the Government Complex Sejong on the 21st and deliberated and approved the enactment of the Kindergarten Three Acts.
[Photo by Cheong Wa Dae]

The proclamation of laws passed today includes the 'Kindergarten 3 Acts' which strengthen the public nature of private kindergartens. One of them is the 'Partial Amendment of the Private School Act Proclamation,' which legally prohibits the use of private kindergarten tuition funds for purposes other than intended and allows for punishment in case of violation.

To enhance transparency in kindergarten accounting, the 'Partial Amendment of the Early Childhood Education Act Proclamation' was also included, which mandates the use of EduFine, a state-managed accounting system, for accounting tasks of all kindergartens including private ones.

Additionally, to ensure the safety of children's food and the quality of meals, the 'Partial Amendment of the School Meals Act Proclamation' was included, which adds kindergartens of a certain size or larger to the subjects of school meals.

Han Jung-woo, Deputy Spokesperson of the Blue House, said, "We expect that by strengthening the transparency of kindergarten operations and accounting, and securing the public nature and responsibility of early childhood education, children will be happy and parents can feel reassured about early childhood education."

Other than that, the 'Partial Amendment of the State Public Officials Act Proclamation' and the 'Partial Amendment of the Local Public Officials Act Proclamation,' which relax the conditions for parental leave for fixed-term public officials, also passed the Cabinet meeting. Previously, fixed-term public officials could only take parental leave if their term was six months or longer, but from now on, they will be able to take parental leave regardless of the remaining term.

The 'Partial Amendment of the National School Establishment Decree' includes provisions allowing some educational facilities of national universities located in the Chungcheong region or the metropolitan area, such as Kongju National University, Chungnam National University, and Chungbuk National University, to be established in Sejong City. The location of national universities was specific to each school, making it difficult to establish educational facilities in other regions. Additionally, the 'Partial Amendment of the Commercial Act Enforcement Decree' strengthens the notification and announcement of executive candidate information to improve corporate governance and tightens the requirements for appointing outside directors of listed companies.

Meanwhile, President Moon urged regarding the novel coronavirus, "Since the Lunar New Year holiday is a time of frequent domestic and international travel, special measures seem necessary during this period," and added, "So far, the response has focused on quarantine at airports and ports, but now please ensure that sufficient response systems are also in place in local communities."